A pro-independence protestor sits in front of Catalonia's regional parliament as lawmakers voted inside, in Barcelona

A pro-independence protestor sits in front of Catalonia's regional parliament as lawmakers voted inside, in Barcelona, January 16, 2014. Local lawmakers in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia voted to seek a referendum on breaking away from Spain on Thursday, setting themselves up for a battle with an implacably opposed central government in Madrid. The Catalan Parliament in Barcelona voted 87 to 43, with 3 abstentions, to send a petition to the national parliament seeking the power to call a popular vote on the region's future. The independence movement in Catalonia, which has its own language and represents a fifth of Spain's national economy, is a direct challenge to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has pledged to block a referendum on constitutional grounds. The placard reads, "My name is Catalonia". REUTERS/Albert Gea (SPAIN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Dramatic independence protests in Catalonia

•January 17, 2014

Lawmakers in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia voted to seek a referendum on breaking away from Spain on Thursday, Jan. 16, setting themselves up for a battle with an implacably opposed central government in Madrid. The Catalan Parliament in Barcelona voted 87 to 43, with 3 abstentions, to send a petition to the national parliament seeking the power to call a popular vote on the region's future.

The independence movement in Catalonia, which has its own language and represents a fifth of Spain's national economy, is a direct challenge to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has pledged to block a referendum on constitutional grounds.